Bedtime math

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1. a-salehAug 2019
   For some time I am pondering to start something like a math-club for my daughter and her friends, in the spirit of Zvonkin's Math from 3 to 7 [1]

   Thing is, creating math-puzzles is hard work so I'd like to know if some of you have resources you'd use :)

   My 5 year old seems to like when I discuss math with her, but when I was looking at my local library, I mostly found materials either for older kids (ie. teaching them to solve systems of linear equations with word puzzles after they already know addition and multiplication) or these were really focus on the drill of counting numbers, and that seemed boring. The best book I so far found in a bookshop was Bedtime Math [3], because it at least has interesting trivia ccompanying the word problems, and some are appropriate for a pre-schooler. But it still is mostly counting.

   We both liked the story of exponential (factorial?) growth in Anno's mysterious multiplying jar [2] (damn, I have to comb through the rest of those suggestions on that page)

   My goal is mostly to puzzle and entertain so if you have anything you have used, I'd like to know :)

   [1] http://www.msri.org/people/staff/levy/files/MCL/Zvonkin.pdf [2] https://www.mathsthroughstories.org/annos-mysterious-multiplying-jar.html [3] http://bedtimemath.org/bedtime-math-a-fun-excuse-to-stay-up-late/

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2. japhyrNov 2017
   My son is 6 now, and he has loved these two books since he was about 3:

   The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos - https://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Loved-Math-Improbable/dp/1596...

   Bedtime Math: A Fun Excuse to Stay Up Late - https://www.amazon.com/Bedtime-Math-Excuse-Stay-Late/dp/1250...

   We also started this book recently, and he has really enjoyed it so far:

   Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World - https://www.amazon.com/Women-Science-Fearless-Pioneers-Chang...

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3. sevensorOct 2015
   My kids (in preschool) _love_ Bedtime Math (the book) and often request it instead of bedtime stories. It's hard to tell if it's having any pedogogical effect --- my oldest is starting to be able to add, sometimes, if both numbers are less than or equal to five. But maybe that would have happened anyhow?
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4. hammerandtongsNov 2014
   This book has been a hit with my buddy's son.

   http://www.amazon.com/Bedtime-Math-Excuse-Stay-Late/dp/12500...

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5. japhyrAug 2014
   I have a three year old son, and it is absolutely fascinating to watch his mathematical understanding develop. I've been a math teacher my entire adult life so I've had plenty of experience watching older students develop their understanding. It's entirely different watching your kid develop their understanding from scratch.

   I recently looked for some kids' books that would focus on the more interesting problems in math, rather than just counting. I was happy to find a few books that have helped him see math as more than just counting. My favorite so far is The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos. [0] I knew of Erdos, but I didn't know much about him. I learned from reading this book, and my kid loves it as well. He is fascinated with aging, and he now sees it as normal that someone would spend their whole life focusing on numbers.

   We are also starting to enjoy Bedtime Math: A Fun Excuse to Stay Up Late. [1] The idea is to give your kid some interesting math problems to think about at bedtime. We've found that it's a good way to help him think about things other than the dark, and strange noises while he's falling asleep.

   It's fascinating to watch this development. A few nights ago: "Did you know that one of the oldest questions people have asked is, How many stars are there in the sky?"

   "No, I didn't know that!"

   "How many stars do you think there are in the sky?"

   "Eight!"

   [0] - http://www.amazon.com/The-Boy-Who-Loved-Math/dp/1596433078

   [1] - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250035856

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6. dgrantOct 2015
   This is crazy, I don't know where I would be today if I hadn't done homework. Homework was where I really and truly learned. Independent work is so important, and it's totally different than doing something with a bunch of students in a classroom setting. Sure, the education system probably could be improved a lot. But you can't just remove homework from the current system and expect there will be no negative consequence to that.

   My daughter is in Grade 1 French Immersion in Canada and she is assigned a few sight words every week in French to memorize in addition to some French sounds (2 letter sounds). On top of that we try to do a bit of math here and there and some English. The teacher tells us to make it as fun as possible, so we try, sometimes I turn her sight words in to a quick board game. For math, we try to use the Bedtime Math books or the app. For reading, we read princess readers which she loves. Sometimes we try other readers and we push it, only to find out she really hates them, and sometimes the French sounds memorization is tough and painful. Can't imagine asking the teacher for less homework though, it seems like just the right amount.

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